Chapter 11: Protect
Centurion… The secret weapon against Zaft…
Lunamaria sat up in her bed, drenched in sweat. She clutched her head as her breath came in heavy.
"Centurions? What are those?" she said again and again as she tried hard to remember her nightmare. Since she and Rey went to the EAF underground lab to investigate, she's been having these nightmares every night. And she'll be awake for about two hours just thinking about it but still no answer came out everytime. It's like a puzzle with missing pieces.
"Centurions… what are those?" she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep once again.
~~~*~~~
"Sorry, I'm late" said Luna as she sat with Shinn at the cafeteria.
"Are you feeling okay? You've been sleeping in lately" said Shinn, a little hint of worry in his voice
"I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about. I've just been having these strange nightmares all of a sudden" she said
"What are the nightmares about?" asked Shinn as he ate his food
"Centurions. I don't know what they are. But they keep on appearing in my dreams"
"Don't force yourself to remember. Sometimes, it's harder if we force ourselves to remember"
"Okay" said Luna as she smiled. Shinn smiled back at her then they continued to eat their food
"Announcing Condition Red. Announcing Condition Red. All pilots, please standby your units" said Jean, the new CIC, through the speaker
The two of them stood up quickly and rushed to the hangar.
~~~*~~~
"What's happening?" asked Shinn as he sat on the cockpit of his mobile suit. Then Captain Glady's face appeared on his, Luna's and Rey's monitor
"We've detected an EAF battleship. We've also detected that they're carrying a platoon of mobile suits and one mobile armor. Shinn and Rey, destroy those mobile suits. Lunamaria, stay near the ship"
"Yes ma'am!" said the Minerva trio in chorus then got ready to launch
"Shinn Asuka. Destiny. Launching"
"Rey Za Burrel. Legend. Launching"
"Lunamaria Hawke. Core Splendor. Taking off"
And with that the Minerva's ace mobile suits flew in the air and immediately went to their specified places.
Shinn and Rey immediately went to do their assigned task, to defeat the enemy, while Lunamaria went near the Minerva and started shooting at the enemies nearby. Surely, the three of them, with the help of the Minerva, can take down those mobile suits since they're few in number. The big problem is the mobile armor, it won't be easy to take it down. But Shinn already managed to take one down in the past, surely he can do it again this time.
It didn't take long before all the enemy mobile suits, including the mobile armor and the mother ship, were defeated. The Minerva's ace pilots cheered in triumph. They were about to return to the ship when suddenly they saw a large platoon of EAF mobile suits, ready to attack them. The system identified their mobile suits to be Crusaders. The Legend, Impulse and Destiny are far more superior to those mobile suits when you look at it. But they must not underestimate the enemy, which may cause their downfall.
"All of you, go out there and don't let them get near the ship" said Captain Gladys through the monitor
"Yes ma'am!" the three of them replied then went to fight the enemies
Although the enemy mobile suits are not that powerful compared to the Minerva's aces, they still proved to be a difficult enemy because of their number. And all of their moves are coordinated, like they're being controlled. It's almost like the one piloting it is not a human, but a computer.
"What are those? Why do they seem familiar?" asked Luna as she stared at them deep in thought
"LUNA!!!" a familiar voice screamed which brought her back to reality. A Crusader stood behind her, ready to slice her and her mobile suit in half. She evaded immediately but sadly, a part of Impulse's right leg got sliced off.
"What were you doing? Don't space off" said Shinn, already in Seed Mode, as he continued to fight the Crusaders
"Sorry" she muttered then continued to fight the Crusaders
And the battle went on and on. Clearly, the EAF are in a disadvantage because most of the Crusaders are already defeated. Luna tried to communicate with them, to see if someone is really piloting it, but they won't respond.
"Don't forget the chairman's orders" reminded Rey to himself as he aimed for the last Crusader and defeated it. Only Captain Gladys knows about the order that was given to him by the chairman, which is to capture a Crusader pilot and have it examined. After the failed Extendeds, EAF surely has another plan to take down Zaft, or at least that's what the chairman thought.
~~~*~~~
Rey entered the pilot lounge and saw Shinn and Lunamaria, already in their redcoat uniforms, waiting for him.
"Hey Rey, where have you been?" asked Shinn as he drank his water
"I handed the damage reports to the mechanics" he lied. He secretly took the pilot of the Crusader to Captain Gladys and handed his report to the chairman about his successful task.
"For a while there, we got worried about you" said Luna in her usual cheerful voice
"I'm a redcoat too" he said then left, probably to head to his room.
The two pilots looked at each other questioningly after Rey left
"What's wrong with him? He's distancing himself around us lately..." muttered Luna
"Let's just let him be. I'm sure that he'll come to us when he feels like talking" sad Shinn as he gestured to Luna that it's time to leave now. Luna smiled to him and they left hand in hand.
~~~*~~~
"Time is running out. I have to convince those two to be loyal to the chairman before he decides to eliminate them" thought Rey to himself as he stared blankly at the computer monitor
Restless thinking of this matter, he closed his eyes and soon drifted off to a peaceful sleep.
~~~*~~~
The next day...
"Rey! Wait up!" called out Luna as she ran after Rey in the corridor
"What is it, Lunamaria?" he asked calmly as he walked casually with Luna beside him
"You seem... stressed lately. What's been happening? You know you can tell me, I'll gladly listen" she asked, concern evident on her voice
"Stop worrying about me, you have more issues to deal with" he said as they entered the pilot lounge and sat on the couch
"Huh?" she asked, not knowing what he meant by that
"I heard you and Shinn talking the other day. You said that you want to quit Zaft" he said as his tone went from calm to serious
Silence drifted between them as she searched for the right words. She knows that he is quite attached to the chairman so she needs to be careful about what she'll say.
"Yeah, I've been planning about that ever since that unfortunate incident which lead to Meyrin's death. I don't want to end up like her and I want a peaceful life"
"Is that all?" he asked as he stared at her intently
"Everything seems to be confusing. I'm really not sure about my decision but I have a feeling that I should do it now, before something bad happens" she replied, getting used to his serious stares
Silence followed their short conversation. Luna looked around, looking for something which can distract her, but sadly she didn't find any.
"How about you, Rey? Don't you want a peaceful life?" she asked, finally breaking the thick wall of silence
"All I want is to by his side all the way" he said as he stared at the floor, finding it interesting
"He? Who is he?" she asked curiously
"He's my benefactor, I owe my life to him. And I made a promise to him that I will help him fulfill his wishes and stay by his side until the day I meet my end" he said, feeling a slight relief to have someone to talk to
Luna just stared at him in awe. She never knew that Rey is such a loyal person.
"I'm sure that that person is really grateful to have someone like you by his side" she said as she smiled. Then she saw Rey smile a bit. If she blinked just once she would surely miss it.
Then he got up "Just be careful with your decision" he said then left.
~~~*~~~
Luna sat upright in the middle of the night. She had another nightmare about those Centurions. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror and saw her reflection. Her forehead is full of beads of sweat and her breath came in heavy.
Shortly after their battle the other day, they went to Zaft's base in South East Asia. They were informed that they landed there for Minerva's maintenance repairs and for the crew to rest. But Luna could tell that there are other reasons for their landing there. And the chairman arrived yesterday which added to Luna's suspicion that something bad is about to happen.
She went to the bathroom that was connected to her room and washed her face. She changed into her red coat uniform and headed outside, not knowing what's awaiting her.
~~~*~~~
Shinn sat in a chair in the corridor. Although he knew that it's almost midnight and that he should be sleeping now, somehow he can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. He finally knew how Luna felt these past few days. This restless feeling that you want to do something to avoid it but don't know what it is in the first place
They're in the middle of a war so it should be natural for him to feel this way. But this feeling is very different from the ones that he felt before going in to battle. Then he thought of the most important person in his life, Luna.
Without even thinking, he rushed to Luna's room only to discover that she's not there. Feeling slightly worried, he decided to search for her.
~~~*~~~
Luna followed her instincts which lead her standing in front of a lab. Curiosity got the best of her as she peeked through the large open window. The only person she can see is the one who is tied to the white bed. He showed no signs of life, as if he was a hollow shell. But he turned his head towards her and his eyes grew big, ready to attack her. He could've attacked her if it wasn't for the ropes that were tied to his whole body, preventing him from moving.
Luna stumbled back, only to bump into the chairman, with Rey beside him.
"Miss Hawke, what are you doing here?" he asked as he put on a nice face. He looked at her and decided to ask her another question.
"Miss Hawke, do you know what that is?" he asked as he looked at the person inside the lab.
Luna nodded negatively as she stared at the person inside the lab. Her face held a surprised and scared look.
Rey studied the chairman, it seems like he's plotting something again. What would it be this time? Then he remembered the conversation they had right after the incident at Gibraltar base. His eyes grew big with worry. Gil is not one who changes his mind easily. He just hoped that this time, he will.
"That person... is not a human being" said Gil as they stared at the "person" tied to the bed. Luna quickly turned her head to face the older man. The question is clearly written on her face.
"We're still conducting some tests to it. But so far, we proved that that thing is not a human being, but a robot" he replied, answering her unspoken question.
"Centurions..." she said suddenly
"What did you say?" asked the chairman as he looked at Luna, this might be the answer behind the mystery of EAF's secret weapon against Zaft.
"Centurions... Human beings turned to war machines. They won't stop fighting until they are told to. They don't know hunger, thirst and emotion. They are programmed to do so" she said unconsciously, suddenly remembering what the captain told her when she was held captive by the EAF.
"Finally" said the chairman as he smiled somewhat evilly.
~~~*~~~
"So, what are your plans now? Now that you got what you want from Lunamaria" asked Rey somewhat impatiently
"You know me, Rey. Once I consider something as trash, I quickly dispose of them" said Gil as he smiled evilly. He saw some hesitation in Rey but it quickly disappeared.
"In order to achieve a peaceful world, sacrifices are necessary"
~~~*~~~
"Luna!" yelled Shinn as he saw Luna walking in the corridor. Luna stopped walking and was welcomed with a tight embrace.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you" he said in relief
"I remembered, Shinn! I remembered!" she said in happiness while still in his strong arms
"Remembered what?" asked Shinn as he loosened his arms a bit around her
"I finally remembered the things that I saw while I was abducted by the EAF" she said happily
Shinn enclosed her in his arms again, happy that a burden is finally lifted off of her shoulders.
Rey caught sight of them and quickly went to them.
"What is it, Rey?" asked Shinn as he saw Rey with worry in his eyes
"Come with me, quick!" said Rey. They have never seen Rey like this before, this only meant that something bad is about to happen.
Shinn held Luna's hand as they followed Rey to the hangar.
~~~*~~~
"Rey, what's going on?" asked Shinn as they ran towards the hangar, being very careful not to get caught by the soldiers.
"The chairman wants Lunamaria gone. He thinks she's of no use now, just like Athrun" replied Rey as they entered the hangar and there stood ZGMF-X42S Destiny.
Luna stood there, scared. She never expected that something like this will happen. What would happen now?
"Shinn, you must escape with her. Go as far away as possible. After you launch, the chairman will send mobile suits after you. Defeat them and never come back here" said Rey.
Shinn nodded and looked at him determinedly. Although there's a possibility that this will be the last time that they'll see each other he said to Rey through his eyes that they will see each other in the future.
He entered Destiny's cockpit with Luna and launched. There's no turning back now. He must protect Lunamaria.
Author's Notes: SSSSSOOOO sorry for the super late upload. I guess that I should be thankful that even though we got flooded (thanks to typhoon Ketsana) nothing bad happened to us. Well, if you consider having flood water at your second floor not a bad thing.
Anyway, I'm really glad that I finally had the chance to update my story since school work has been piling up. Well, I'll be having my final exams this Monday so wish me luck! Heehee... That means more time to write since I have a week or so of semestral break...
Well, as promised I finally bought a Shinn figure (in his flight suit) so Luna won't be lonely anymore heehee... And I bought a Dearka figure too earlier. I just can't resist the temptation to buy him. Luckily I still have enough money to pay for the jeepney fare to go home heehee... I'm so addicted...
And I'll be cosplaying Miriallia Haw this November!!! YAY!!!!
Thanks for the wonderful reviews! That kept me happy after the depression that I felt after the typhoon.
Stay safe! *hugs*
(*^o^*) Peace out! (*^o^*)
Kaycee